1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an intra-vascular device and method. More particularly, the present invention relates to an intra-vascular catheter which can be utilized in a rapid exchange or over-the-wire (OTW) operating mode.
2. Description of the Related Art
Human blood vessels often become occluded or completely blocked by plaque, thrombi, other deposits, emboli or other substances, which reduce the blood carrying capacity of the vessel. Should the blockage occur at a critical place in the circulatory system, serious and permanent injury, or even death, can occur. To prevent this, some form of medical intervention is usually performed when significant occlusion is detected.
Various types of intervention techniques have been developed which facilitate the reduction or removal of the blockage in the blood vessel, allowing increased blood flow through the vessel. One technique for treating occlusion of a blood vessel is the use a dilation catheter having a dilation balloon. However, in practice, is often necessary to exchange one dilation catheter for another.
In doing so, it is often necessary to utilize an over-the-wire (OTW) dilation catheter which uses long exchange wires, e.g., 300 cm exchange wires. However, use of long exchange wires often requires two operators to perform the procedure. During this procedure, it is necessary that the operators communicate with each other which makes the procedure time-consuming. In addition, since the exchange wire is so long, it often is awkward to handle and for that reason may come into contact with the floor or become contaminated which necessitates removing the entire apparatus being utilized for the procedure.
To avoid these difficulties with OTW dilation catheters, rapid exchange dilation catheters have been developed which utilized a relatively short guide wire. The rapid exchange dilation catheter has been widely praised by the medical profession and has met with much commercial success in the marketplace.
However, the OTW dilation catheter is still desirable for use in certain circumstances, for example, when the additional length of the guide wire facilitate positioning or is otherwise desirable. Thus, a dilation catheter that can operate in an over-the-wire mode or a rapid exchange mode would provide needed flexibility for the medical profession.